This invention relates to a garment waistband which employs an elastic band and a four-segment fabric web.
Waistbands employing elastic structures are wellknown in the prior art. Such waistbands characteristically are intended to provide a snug, comfortable fit while eliminating the need for a belt. A problem experienced with such waistbands, however, is that their upper portions tend to roll outwardly over themselves, especially when worn by individuals with significant body fat in their waist and pelvic regions. This rolling tendency has been addressed by several designs.
One design for garment waistbands aimed at offering greater resistance to rolling employs an elastic band having a cross-section which is concave on its inner surface. The top portion, being of smaller circumference around the wearer than the lower portions, naturally resists rolling down and over those portions. Such a waistband can result in discomfort, however, if its top edges press too strongly into the waist of the wearer.
Another roll-resistant waistband employs a two-part elastic band. The upper part, typically comprising a significant portion of the cross-section of the waistband, is uniformly less extensible than the lower portion. In this manner, the upper portion of the waistband, whose vertical width is insufficient to allow rolling, but great enough not to cut into the wearer, fits the garment snugly to the wearer, while the lower portion acts as a skirt, conforming to the body of the wearer for a comfortable fit. Even the fairly wide upper portion of this type of waistband can cause discomfort, however, where the garment fits too snugly, where the wearer has experienced a temporary weight gain, or where the garment is worn for a long period of time.
Other efforts directed at alleviating the rolling problem include placing semi-rigid stays in the waistband structure and weaving the waistband material with stiff vertical fibers. However, the rigidity inherent in such designs results in discomfort to the wearer, particularly when the garment employing such a waistband is worn for long periods of time.